I'm debating the auto versus the stick.
I'm looking at a 45 mile traffic-clogged commute to and from school every day starting in the fall which will be on the MINI only, however I also want to have some fun.
The paddle shifters seem fun and it would be nice to have my little brother learn to drive in a nicer automobile than an '89 Buick with rust holes.

I also don't really know how to drive a stick (I've had a driver's license all of 3 days)

Those of you who have the automatic:
-Are the paddle shifters comparable to a manual? Or in the very least fun to use?
-Any regrets? Would I be happier with a stick?



Also: I've heard that putting an automatic car in neutral and using the hand brake is better for the car and safer than putting it in park...seems like it could hold water but i'm no sure....Confirm/Deny?

Thanks guys

 

Comparable to the manual? Not really - two entirely different animals.
Fun to use? YES! Once you learn to master the paddles.
Regrets? None, after 55,000 very spirited miles, including two track days and 7 trips to the Dragon. Though, if I were buying a TRACK car, I'd buy a manual. The manual more efficiently transfers engine power to the road - which matters on the track. But, for the street, the auto is immensely more practical IMHO, and the paddles make it FUN in the twisties.

ALWAYS put the auto in PARK when parking it. AND use the handbrake. ALWAYS. You heard wrong.

 

+1 to Blimey. Also good luck getting the key out without it being in Park.

 

Driver's ED told me that putting the car in park and using the parking brake is the safest. None of my auto-driving friends (including me) leave the car in neutral when turning it off unless they planned to push/tow it
(just checked my book, it says it's required by law to use parking brake regardless of which transmission! i wonder if a cop ever wrote a ticket for an un-used parking brake )

 

I own a 6spd R55S, but last two days was torturing an R56S loaner with paddle shifters.

In normal auto mode - I can shift much smoother, especially when coming to a stop. (Multiply the shudder by about 7 for Sport mode).

Paddle shifter took couple of miles to get used to - 1-2 shift lags horribly, so starting off in M2 worked best for me - it still has plenty of pull and 2-3 and further shifts are much better. Other than that - being able to brake and downshift without contorting your feet is awesome, being able to grab onto the steering wheel with both hands in a long sweeper and upshift also is very pleasing.

I still miss my 6spd and will be glad to go back to it. Another thing I noticed was that gas mileage with me pushing the 6spd hard is about 25-26MPG. Same lead foot in the auto resulted in about 22-23MPG on the same route. That's subjective, though.

All in all - hate to admit it, but auto is plenty fun. I might consider a DSG-type transmission for my next car which I never thought I'd say.

 

Caution!!!!!! If you are buying new your OK. If used make sure it doesn't have a CVT automatic. I just got rid of my cabrio with the CVT automatic for the real Automatic in my 09 MCS Cabrio. A world of difference and an automatic I can now live with. Also CVT's have been known to go out at @70,000 miles with expensive results.
Milton Mini

 

OP's sig says he's ordering a 2009 - so no CVT's to worry about.

 

I test drove an Automatic S for kicks and wasn't too impressed. It was pretty smooth, but I think I can shift my manual a bit smoother if I'm trying to. I guess I just think it's boring. I also own a DSG equipped VW which is much nicer performance wise and I find that a little boring to drive as well.

My commute is 26 miles in pretty heavy traffic and I actually prefer the manual over the automatic since I don't have to ride the brakes as much. The DSG is a bit better (although harsher) than a traditional automatic at maintaining a low creep speed, but the manual is great for driving in traffic.

By the way, parking an automatic in neutral is fairly pointless unless you need to push it, not to mention less safe if you're parked on a slope. You can learn to drive a manual quickly, my wife picked up the basics on my previous Mazda 3 and learned on the MINI fairly quickly.

 

BTW, another plus for the MINI manual - hill assist. Awesome feature for new manual drivers, just make sure you eventually learn to drive a manual car without it...

 

autos have hill assist too.

 

Not quite. Auto's just never are in a situation where no gear is engaged (except when in Neutral/Park) so when you are on a hill you are in gear holding you in place.

 

Automatic Minis come with a PT Cruiser badge too right?

 

haha funny

 

How about parking the car? Take the MTA (Mass Transit)!

 

If I'm paying $400+/mo for my car I'm not paying $2 to take the bus!

 

Sorry to say you are incorrect. The hill assist on an auto tranny 2nd gen MINI kicks in by way of automatically activating the brakes for you until forward motion (going up hill) is sensed.

 

FWIW:
MT on the R56 (MCS) is about one of the worst I've ever driven, just a horrible clutch.

AT on the R56 is the second best I've ever driven (next to DSG/S-tronic)

 

the rear brake does the work. you can feel it disengage after you hit a certain rpm (sorta)

edit: SteelersFan beat me to it.

 

I'm sure you could find a few hundred people on this site that completely disagree with you. I love the manual gearbox on both cooper and cooper S.

 

I love letting my cars drift backwards before I press the gas . Looks like I won't be able to have that fun anymore .

 

I think the clutch feel and the shifter feel is great on the MCS and I've owned a newer Mazda, Honda, BMW and VW with MT. It's not as nice as a new Porsche but it feels way more solid than a 3-series to me.

 

We havn't had our MCCa for very long but I absolutly love it. I tend to drive almost exclusivly in manual mode (we got the automatic for the extra leg room I can gain without having to work the clutch which lets the kids sit behind me.) Is it the same as the manual, no. As someone else said it is a very different animal but it is great fun none the less. You do have to get used to the timing of the shifts as there is a lag that you have to adjust for (which seems a bit unique to each gear.)

All that said... I would tell you to get the manual. It is not that hard to learn and I really think you can learn a lot about a car and car control by driving a manual. Also, with everything going electronic, you may not have many chances to own a manual car and the MINI is a hell of a manual car even in it's new incarnation (I own a classic as well. )

 

Sorry...thats a good point
The key in my current vehicle comes out of the ignition after it starts, nomatter what gear you're in. I've had it fall out doing a tough left at like 30mph before lol. I didn't even think about that.

I think I'll get the auto for the MINI, it seems enough of you like it to see getting one, and going to school in traffic might get a little bit annoying with a stick in NYC.

Thanks for all of the input to the post

And btw...my next car will definitely be a stick...thinking a 4 speed late 60s/early 70s VW Beetle or a RHD late 70s MINI classic.
^^
Joint with my dad for money purposes. We'd do some work on whatever we got and save some $

 

I am with Blimey. I love my MSCa.

Originally I had been bummed that my wife made it a requirement for the mini. Frankly, I have grown to love it. The paddle shifting works very well and is fun once you get used to it. Sometimes its nice just to tap to shift too. Heck, most of the time when I'm doing errands and that I just leave it in "D" (Ok, ok "DS").

Yes, if you are planning on tracking it then MT is the way to go. No the AT is not perfect. Yes it is fun being able to shift while holding a latte (right Paul?).

Finally, I have heard that if you get the JCW kit for the auto it is a very positive transformation. You might want to budget in the funds for that as well...

In the end do what you want and you'll have no regrets!

 

Thought about the JCW thing, but I am trying not to go overboard. When I decided I wanted a MINI, I went to the site and made a car...a $32,000 car with all the options I though were cool. My end result is a $26,442 car that I will probably never sell and enjoy just as much as anything I could have found for 32 grand.
MINI's have a personality that no other new cars seem to have. I am happy just to be a part of the community and having a car with a bunch of DIY mods like a rear seat delete, DIY de-chrome etc, make for a much more personal experience with a car imo.
I got totally off topic there...but I'll leave it, tis truth.